BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville City Manager Helen Ramirez has explained how her city is working on a regional to improve transportation ahead of major developments at the Port of Brownsville and the growth of SpaceX at Bob Chica.

The biggest development at the port is construction of a liquefied natural gas export terminal by NextDecade. At the height of construction it is expected that 5,000 workers will be on site. 

The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service pitched this question to Ramirez:

There was a discussion about the city setting up a committee to look at how you transport 5,000 workers into the Port of Brownsville in a year’s time for construction of the LNG export facility. How are your preparations going for handling traffic concerns as the LNG project ramps up?

Ramirez responded:

“What I would say is that the City of Brownsville is bringing different players into that discussion because it's not only the city, right? It's Cameron County, it’s the county RMA, it’s TxDOT, it’s the RGVMPO, it’s NextDecade. It's also SpaceX because SpaceX has over 2,000 workers. So what we're doing is collaborating. There's a subcommittee on transportation that NextDecade has created. But, we're even creating a subset of that. Like, what what are we all doing, right? Because what NextDecade did was put $12 million worth of donations for improvements. See, here you have a company that knows that their impact on the community (is great), and (so they) donated $12 million in improvements for their employees. 

“But it goes beyond the ingress and egress to that facility. What about the traffic synchronization. I'm going to tell you a story. Many SpaceX employees live in Brownsville, and we would get complaints saying, why isn't Boca Chica (Boulevard) synchronized. Well that takes a million dollars. And we did it. We have accomplishment it and if you go through Boca Chica it is synchronized and it has a great traffic flow. But what I would say is between traffic synchronization, new roads, road improvements, those are conversations on a regional level that we're having. So that's important. We have to continue the conversation, and everyone, even NextDecade, realizes they have to put in their fair share for improved roadways.”

 Here is an audio recording of the interview.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - With a huge LNG project at the Port of Brownsville projected to create a massive increase in truck traffic, Cameron County RMA has started a master plan study of State Highway 48.

At the peak of its construction phase, NextDecade’s liquefied natural gas export terminal will see the hiring of 5,000 workers. Most of these may be transported into the port by bus. Cameron County and the City of Brownsville are looking into this.

But, then there are the trucks bringing in raw materials and taking out waste materials. Pete Sepulveda, executive director of Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA), says he would not be surprised to see 10,000, 15,000 or even 20,000 workers using SH 48 within a few years, particularly as it is also used by SpaceX.

“So what we're doing is we're working on a master plan for State Highway 48. Because you know that the 5,000 number that you mentioned, that's only one LNG. As you know, there's two LNG companies that are coming to the Port of Brownsville,” Sepulveda told the Rio Grande Guardian International News 

Service.

“There are other industries that are coming to the board as well. SpaceX is already there. They already have 15,000 to 16,000 employees.”

Sepulveda said that working with Brownsville Navigation District, CCRMA is working on traffic projections. 

“In the course of the next ten, 20, 30 years, as far as traffic is concerned, what is the traffic demand modeling we are going to need for Highway 48? And what is the ultimate configuration and industry coming into the Port of Brownsville? That is what we are going to study,” Sepulveda said.

“We're trying to determine what grade separations and what overpasses are needed. What additional infrastructure improvements are needed. What connecting roads are needed in that whole area to be able to provide ingress and egress to 10,000 employees that are going to be working out of that area or projected to be in the future.”

Sepulveda said once the master plan is complete it will be presented to the Texas Department of Transportation. After all, TxDOT maintains SH 48.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Representatives from NextDecade and its main contractor for the liquefied natural gas export terminal being built at the Port of Brownsville, Bechtel, gave the keynote presentations at a recent South Texas Manufacturers Association meeting.

However, the presentations were deemed private and not for publication. So, the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service sought the analysis of STMA President Mike Willis, who emceed the meeting. Guardian audio editor Mario Muñoz asked Willis what he knew of the LNG project.

Willis said: “Well, this is one of the largest projects in the country and certainly the largest in the state and certainly the largest in the Rio Grande Valley. It's been years in planning and conditions are right that finally NextDecade was able to secure all the customer funding they needed, the long term commitments and they made a final investment decision to move forward with this (LNG facility at the Port of Brownsville). So, years of planning, and now they have pulled the trigger on it. They have got paying customers contracts for 20 years or more.”

Willis said two other major projects related to the LNG facility would be going on at the same time.

“So, this project is going forward at the Port and it is going to involve several other major projects. The Brownsville Ship Channel is going to be dredged to 52 feet deep, all the way from the jetties to the Port to facilitate these large tankers coming in to pick up liquefied natural gas. There's a major pipeline that is going to be constructed by Enbridge Energy out of Canada that will connect to pipelines flowing from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale to Nueces Main in Corpus. They will tie into those pipelines and pipe natural gas down to the Port of Brownsville and that natural gas coming into that pipeline will be the raw material, the input for these liquefaction trains that are going to be built. So, this is an eight year long project.”


Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian website to read the full story.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

EDINBURG, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott was the keynote speaker at the Rio Grande Valley Partnership’s recent 2023 RGV Economic Summit.

The event took place at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, with hundreds of community, business, and political leaders in attendance. 

Abbott was applauded throughout his 25-minute speech.

He started his speech by thanking state Sen. Juan Hinojosa. The McAllen Democrat had introduced Abbott. Abbott said that as a delegation, the Rio Grande Valley’s state lawmakers are “a force to be reckoned with.”

Abbott also pointed out that he has visited the Rio Grande Valley more than any other Texas governor.

“There is a very powerful, compelling reason why this happened. And that's because the RGV is perhaps the fastest growing region of all regions across the state of Texas. You truly are the epicenter of the booming Texas economy. The Texas of tomorrow is going to be built here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Abbott said, to warm applause.

Abbott said that while the motto of the summit was “One Region, One Voice,” the event could be summed up in one word: unity. “When you all come together as one unit, you are extraordinarily more powerful and more effective than you are working individually,” he said.

Abbott said he agreed with a previous speaker, Adriana Cruz. The executive director of Texas Economic Development & Tourism said, “a win for one, is a win for all.”

By way of an example, Abbott pointed to how the Dallas region works as a unit. He said the numerous municipalities around the perimeter of Dallas all work together with the big city. He said the City of Irving often lands the big deals but every municipality wins in the region wins.

“So my point is, when you all work together as a unit you want to be a magnet for economic opportunity and jobs that will be repeating itself over and over and over again. Your primary goal by working together is to be that collective messenger to the entire globe, that one of the prime real estate locations in the world to do business is the Rio Grande Valley of the great State of Texas.”

Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service to read the full story.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - In three recent speeches in the Rio Grande Valley, the vice president for strategy and new initiatives at the Wilson Center talked about a potential game changer for Mexico that would also positively impact the Port of Brownsville.

Duncan Wood is also a senior advisor to the Mexico Institute. On July 27, he spoke at a luncheon held at Texas Southmost College that was hosted by the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation. On July 28, he spoke at a breakfast held at the McAllen Country Club that was hosted by the CEO Club. And, later that same day, Wood gave the keynote address at the MXLAN Festival’s International Economic Summit.

In each of the speeches Wood referenced the Transoceanic road and rail corridor Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is building in southern Mexico. He said the project has the full support of the private sector.

“Before I move on, a quick word about the Port of Brownsville and the LNG (liquefied natural gas) project. It made me think. I always think of Texas ports as being headed for Europe. That is what they are, traditionally. Now they can get to Asia but to get to Asia they have to go down through the Panama Canal,” Wood said, at the GBIC event.

“One of the few major policy initiatives from the Mexican government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador with which I agree, is actually the Transoceanic Corridor, in the narrowest part of Mexico, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. For many years, in fact going back to the times of Porfirio Díaz, it has been speculated that (you could) either dig a canal or your could make a rail or road link. The government now is finally doing that.”

Wood continued: “And the fascinating thing about this is that, yes, you could take goods from South Texas by boat down to Coatzacoalcos, take them across the rail link onto ships at Salina Cruz and get them to Asia in a relatively short time, quicker than going through the Panama Canal which, by the way, is experiencing all kinds of problems anyway, because of low water levels at this point in time.”

But that is not the only benefit, Wood said.

“Imagine now if you built a pipeline across there as well. So perhaps you could bring down LNG, you could re-gasify it on one side, pump it through the pipeline, re-liquefy it at Salina Cruz and take it to Asia. Take advantage of much higher gas prices in Asia. 

“And then you think about what the government is actually thinking about doing down there, which is building out manufacturing capacity on either side of that rail and road link of Isthmus of Tehuantepec. All of a sudden you have a new border with the United States, which is right there in southern Mexico.”

Wood said this project fulfils a top priority of the López Obrador administration - improving the economy of southern Mexico.

“But it also creates new possibilities for Texas companies to work with Mexican companies down there to be part of that integrated manufacturing platform for export to Asia. That's a very, very, juicy prospect. There's a lot of work to do. But the idea is fundamentally sound.”

Here is an audio recording of everything Wood said about the Transoceanic Corridor at his one speech in Brownsville and two speeches in McAllen.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Hiring 5,000 construction workers to build a liquefied natural gas export terminal at the Port of Brownsville will lead to increased wage rates across the lower Rio Grande Valley. 

That is the view of Pat Hobbs, executive director of Workforce Solutions Cameron.

In a wide-ranging interview that also included news of big developments at SpaceX, Hobbs said he expects a decision from NextDecade on their Rio Grande LNG terminal to “pop” any day now. 

“We're expecting the LNG to pop any day… for NextDecade to make their final investment decision. And when they do I think that's going to be the start of a large scale change in the wage rates for the Valley region, which is long overdue.”

So, wage rates are going to go up, Hobbs was asked.

“Rates are gonna go up, I predict. I won't believe it until I see it but all the signs say that the skilled workforce in the Brownsville, Harlingen, (lower) Valley area is going to increase. The value of their services is going to increase on par with the rest of the state. So, our workers our skilled workers won't have to leave the Valley in order to make a decent living.”

Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian website.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

MCALLEN, Texas - Eduardo “Eddie” Campirano, port director for Brownsville Navigation District, says he is “enthusiastically optimistic” about business activity at the Port of Brownsville, including construction of liquefied natural gas export terminals. 

Campirano gave an in-depth presentation about the latest developments at his port at a recent Texas Association of Business/Rio Grande Valley Partnership Business Summit held at the McAllen Convention Center. 

Here is everything Campirano said at the event. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - John Sharp, chancellor for the Texas A&M University System, visited the Port of Brownsville recently to announce a new initiative to invigorate advanced manufacturing in the area.

The Texas A&M RGV Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now (TRAIN) program is designed to enhance the skills needed for workers wishing to find employment at the Port of Brownsville. 

The Texas AM Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) are heading up the initiative. In two years, through TRAIN, the two groups will award 10,000 certificates through online and on-site classes, in both English and Spanish. 

There will be no cost to participants, thanks to $10 million in funding secured by state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., during the recent regular legislative session. If the program is a success, Texas A&M will try to secure more funding from the Legislature to make it sustainable. 

“I am proud to be part of this innovative initiative that will provide robust training opportunities to the people of South Texas,” Sharp said. “With the new TRAIN initiative, the Texas A&M System continues its mission of education and service by partnering with our colleagues in the Rio Grande Valley to provide no-cost training to community members interested in being part of the rapidly expanding advanced manufacturing workforce.”

Sharp said special thanks must go to state Sen. Eddie Lucio and Texas A&M System Regent Mike Hernandez for helping make the initiative possible.

“TEES and TEEX are uniquely positioned to offer expertise in workforce training in the much sought-after area of manufacturing,” said Dr. John E. Hurtado, interim vice chancellor for engineering and interim agency director of TEES. 

“By providing training to the people of the Rio Grande Valley – at no cost thanks to the Texas Legislature – we have the opportunity to help people improve not only their employment options but also their lives.”

Courses will soon be getting underway. Visit trainestufuturo.org to register for training and to learn more.

In addition to Sharp, Lucio, and Hernandez, the news conference also heard remarks from Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Sergio “Tito” Lopez, Texas Workforce Commissioner Julian Alvarez, state Reps. Eddie Lucio, III, and state Rep. Alex Dominguez. 

In his remarks, Alvarez gave a shoutout to FIRST RGV for its programs that help students learn how to build rockets.

The emcee was Port Director Eduardo Campirano. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Having visited the offices of the Port of Brownsville a few times over the years, I was always aware of a proud sense of Rio Grande Valley history when I looked at the photos and newspaper accounts displayed on the wall in the main office.

With our a doubt, the 85th Anniversary of the Port of Brownsville is a major news item in the Rio Grande Valley.

Referring to the Port of Brownsville, Port Director Eddie Campirano said: “We’re the only deep water port directly on the U.S.-Mexico border. And if you think about the region, where else can it be replicated?”

The Port of Brownsville is celebrating its 85th Anniversary with an Open Day for the general public on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Recently, during a Rio Grande Valley Partnership-sponsored tour of the Port of Brownsville, Port Director Campirano offered important details about activities at the Port of Brownsville. The attached podcast (thanks to Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports) contains all the remarks Campirano made in a presentation to RGVP and its VIP guests.

The Port of Brownsville celebrates its 85th Anniversary with an Open Day for the general public on Saturday, Oct. 23. This 85th Anniversary Open Day includes boat and bus tours, live music, animal exhibits, a children’s play area, free food, refreshments and prices. 

If you plan to take your family to Open Day, please remember, the port is a secured area. Adults must present a valid government ID card, such as a driver’s license. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. The Port of Brownsville’s Open Day festivities run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 23. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - U.S. Sen. John Cornyn held a news conference at the Port of Brownsville on Sept. 16, 2021. The attached podcast features the news conference.

The news conference, which is featured in the attached podcast, was dominated by discussion on Covid-19 vaccines and reopening the U.S.-Mexico land ports of entry to Mexican visa holders. Cornyn also spoke about a visit he made the same day to SpaceX's rocket launching site at Boca Chica.

The news conference was preceded by a roundtable discussion Cornyn co-hosted with the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, the Valley's regional chamber of commerce. Cornyn gave remarks at the event before hearing from Valley elected officials, education chiefs and business leaders.

Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service website to read more stories about the Cornyn-RGVP roundtable discussion.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - State Rep. Terry Canales, chair of the House Committee on Transportation, says he intends to launch a port caucus when the 87th legislative session starts next month.

The Edinburg Democrat made the announcement during a virtual town hall meeting he hosted recently with the Port of Brownsville. He said more funding needs to be made at ports of entry. 

“We know that 18-wheelers, big rigs, consume pavement at ten thousand times the rate of a regular passenger vehicle. We know that we have a disproportionate amount (at border ports of entry); hundreds of thousands of trucks from the Rio Grande Valley to El Paso, where Lina Ortega is at,” Canales said.

“We know that those ports, including the inland ports, feed and move the economy of Texas. They are job creators with millions upon billions upon billions of dollars. They are economic engines.”

Evelina ‘Lina’ Ortega is state representative for District 77. An El Paso Democrat, Ortega sits on the House Committee on Transportation. She participated in Canales’ town hall meeting.

Other speakers included Eduardo Campirano, port director for Brownsville Navigation District, and Pete Sepulveda, executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority. 

“So, we have trucks that consume a disproportionate amount of pavement but we don’t get a disproportionate amount of money to build and outfit and maintain and preserve the infrastructure that exists arounds these engines and the reality is and what I have seen is - and these town halls prove it - we can’t live without the ports but we are underfunding the ports every opportunity we get,” Canales said.

“Texas can do better and we have to do better, from connecting the most basic bridges to actually getting an interstate to Brownsville, and connecting the lifeblood of, not just Texas but the nation.”

Canales thanked those who participated in the virtual town hall meeting. He said they had helped to shed light on the fact that oil and gas is important in Texas. 

“Oil and gas does not move without the ports. It stays in the ground. That is the reality and so there is a symbiotic relationship between the community we find so important in Texas and the port, which we continuously underfund.”

Canales added: “When this next legislative session begins it is my intention to create a port caucus so that all members who border and or have ports in their area can join and help me lobby the rest of the members in making sure that we understand that if we underfund our ports we are literally cutting Texas short and we are hurting the United States in general.”

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - While many industries struggled in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the Port of Brownsville managed to stay afloat and even experienced growth. 

Eduardo A. Campirano, port director and CEO, spoke to Rio Grande GuardianEditor-in-Chief Steve Taylor about the state of the port and their monumental year. 

As one of the 16 essential infrastructure sectors identified by the federal government, the port remained fully operational.

“In spite of the year and the difficulties with the year, for us, we have to keep our doors open,” said Campirano. “ … The movement of cargo doesn’t stop. The closing the borders doesn’t stop. The receipt of global shipping doesn’t stop.”

Despite supply chain disruptions, Campirano said that the port saw an average of 1,500 trucks a day loading and unloading cargo. He explained that as businesses began to reevaluate their logistical operations during this health crisis, the Port of Brownsville became an appealing and, in some cases, cost-effective alternative.

“We’ve been able to demonstrate that we have the capability,” said Campirano. “And, you know, that commodity may move in by vessel, but it moves out by truck; we’ve moved it out by barge; we’ve moved it out by rail. So, the logistics platform is well-suited to provide that customer variety and access to markets perhaps in a much more affordable way, and so that’s been a plus for us.”

Campirano said the port opened up markets to Rio Grande Valley and Mexican businesses that had not been available before. Increases in cargo volume and diversity were the result. Manufactured goods like electronic parts and agricultural commodities like grain were shipped around the East Coast and even as far as China. Their newly initiated container service connected goods with Port Tampa Bay, another burgeoning market for businesses.

Campirano says that he is cautiously optimistic, even in good years, about the port’s revenue and growth and hoped to at least match last’s figures in light of the pandemic. In July, Brownsville Navigation District Commissioner John Reed said the port was faring the crisis well, but Campirano was pleasantly surprised to see that 2020’s numbers had surpassed those of 2019. With this trend, even as some major projects are still on hold, Campirano says 2021 “could be a year for the record books.”

“If we, with the advent of the vaccine for COVID[-19] and the return to some sense of normalcy, if we can hit that in full stride, then I believe the prospects for our region are very exciting.”

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The port director of the Brownsville Navigation District says business has been good so far in 2020.

Eddie Campirano was a guest on a recent webinar hosted by the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce. 

Campirano told Chamber President Esmy Villarreal that the Port of Brownsville moved more cargo during the first quarter of 2020 than it did in the first quarter of 2019. 

“The mix of commodities may have changed somewhat. Steel is not as robust as we have seen. Nor liquid commodities. But, it has been made up for with the wind components. It has been made up for in some of the other markets we serve,” Campirano said.

Looking ahead, Campirano said: “Will that remain for the rest of the year? We hope so but at the end of the day we may be running into what we see in some of the changes that have occurred in the last few months.”

Campirano acknowledged it may take some time to catch up with previous volumes for some of the activities that occur at the port.

“As consumers demand comes back so will some of these activities but at this point we are excited with the 2020 comparison with 2019. We hope that trend continues,” Campirano said.

“We will always see peaks and valleys in our cargo movement. On the whole it is looking very good.”

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

BROWNSVILLE, RGV - Eddie Campirano, port director for Brownsville Navigation District, gave an in-depth presentation to site selectors from Europe during a familiarization tour organized by Rio South Texas Economic Council. 

The site selectors were members of Transatlantic Business & Investment Council and they spent four days in the Rio Grande Valley.

Campirano pointed out that the Port of Brownsville is the only deep-water sea port directly located on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

“We are also the largest land-owning public port authority in the United States.,” Campirano said.

“Our foreign trade zone is ranked No. 2 in the nation, continuous, very steady, for the value of exported commodities.

“And, we happen to be home to the largest domestic fabricator of offshore exploration and drilling platforms in the United States.”

During the presentation Campiranno discussed the possibility of liquefied natural gas export terminals being built at the port. He also spoke about other plans to expand economic activity. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.